1924 Coolidge Road, East Lansing, Michigan 48823 • Ph: 517‐351‐3570 • Fax: 517‐351‐5909 • www.shaareyzedek.com

                  JUNE 2021 SIVAN /TAMMUZ 5781 

Join us on Friday, June 4,7:00 p.m.

for our outdoor Shabbat Service

(weather permi ng)

see page 3 for details

ShabbatShalomand

2                JUNE 2021 SIVAN /TAMMUZ 5781 Commentary

RABBI BIGMAN’S LETTER 

Rabbi Bigman’s D’var Torah from our annual congrega onal mee ng, delivered on May 16: This evening begins the fes val of Shavuot. Of the three pilgrimage fes vals ‐‐ Sukkot, Pesach, and Shavuot ‐‐ this fes val is probably the least known. Shavuot comes seven weeks a er the beginning of Pesach. Originally agricultural in nature, as are the other pilgrimage fes vals, it has become associated with the Giving of the Ten Commandments, which are representa ve of the en re Torah, and is thus known in Hebrew as Z'man Matan Torateinu (the Season of the Giving of Our Torah, the Season of the Giving of our Teaching). The Torah reading for Shavuot morning comes from Exodus 19:1‐20:23. It begins as follows:

On the third new moon a er the Israelites had gone forth from the land of Egypt, on that very day, they entered the wilderness of Sinai. Having journeyed from Rephidim, they entered the wilderness of Sinai and encamped in the wilderness. Israel encamped there in front of the mountain, and Moses went up to God. God called to him from the mountain, saying, "Thus shall you say to the house of Jacob and declare to the children of Israel: 'You have seen what I did to the Egyp ans, how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Me. Now then, if you will obey Me faithfully and keep My covenant, you shall be My treasured possession among all the peoples. Indeed, all the earth is Mine, but you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy na on.' These are the words that you shall speak to the children of Israel." [emphasis added]

The por on con nues on and in the twen eth chapter of Exodus the Ten Commandments are given. In addi‐on to this special Torah reading, there is another reading which is also associated with Shavuot: The Book of

Ruth. The Torah reading is about communal observances, but the Book of Ruth focuses on the experiences of a small number of people. The three main characters are Boaz, who is firmly and successfully rooted in his com‐munity; Naomi, whose husband and sons have died, who returns to her home community and tries to become part of it again; and Ruth, who chooses to become part of this community.* In the spring issue of "Moment" magazine, the cover ar cle asks: "What Does Community Mean in the 21st Century?" "New York Times" columnist David Brooks begins his response to this ques on in the following way:

I'll start with the Book of Exodus. I was taught a lot about community by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, who said, "First, the community is a group of people with a common story." So the Exodus story is a story that holds the Jewish people together. And then Sacks made the observa on that the crea on of the universe is described in Genesis in nine verses, but the building of the Tabernacle is described in Exodus in hundreds of verses. The lesson is that not only is a community a group of people with a common story, but it's a group of people with a common project, and the pro‐cess of building the Tabernacle created a community out of the tribes of Israel. [p. 38]

Congrega on Shaarey Zedek is a community with a "common project." Based upon our mission statement, we are to nurture our members in the heritage of Judaism, striving to provide a center in the Greater Lansing area for Jews to learn about and to celebrate their Judaism. Shaarey Zedek is a community where we can "learn, pray, celebrate simchas, and comfort each other in mes of need. Congrega on Shaarey Zedek offers a rich and varied program of educa on, cultural and social events while reaching out to the Greater Lansing commu‐nity to strengthen interfaith es." Con nued on next page

3                                    JUNE 2021 SIVAN /TAMMUZ 5781 Commentary

RABBI BIGMAN’S LETTER 

At this me of our annual mee ng and with the Shavuot fes val upon us, let us each do our best to be part of and to help our kehillah kedoshah (holy community). Congrega on Shaarey Zedek is our home, our community, our family. May it con nue to thrive and may it bring meaning to all who are part of it. And let us say: Amen. This me of pandemic has made these community goals difficult, but not impossible. As you will see in the wri en staff and commi ee reports sent out to you in prepara on for this annual mee ng, the work of the Shaarey Zedek community has con nued throughout this difficult me and has, in many cases, flourished. At this me of our annual mee ng and with the Shavuot fes val upon us, let us each do our best to be part of and to help our kehillah kedoshah (holy community). Congrega on Shaarey Zedek is our home, our commu‐nity, our family. May it con nue to thrive and may it bring meaning to all who are part of it. And let us say: Amen. *With thanks to Rabbi David Greenstein of Congrega on Shomrei Emunah in Montclair, New Jersey, for inspiring these thoughts about community in his sermon "Where E'er You Go."

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Join us as we celebrate Shabbat with our congrega onal family 

                     on the east lawn     

                       Friday, June 4, 7:00 p.m.  

Out of an abundance of cau on and because of our Jewish obliga on to be role

models for each other, EVERYONE is required to wear a mask. Masks will be

provided for those who arrive without. Please social distance and bring your own

sea ng. No refreshments will be served.

5 Commentary JUNE 2021 SIVAN /TAMMUZ 5781 

8 Commentary

GIFTS, HONORS AND MEMORIALS 

JUNE 2021 SIVAN /TAMMUZ 5781 

Congrega on Shaarey Zedek is grateful for your generous contribu ons to our designated funds. These funds enable the congrega on to offer services and pro‐grams that would not otherwise be avail‐able. While dona ons of any amount are most welcome, due to rising costs, a mini‐mum dona on of $18 will be required in order to receive a lis ng in the “Commentary” and acknowledgment to a recipient. This policy applies to these funds: Jeane e Abeles Scholar‐In‐Residence

Program

Be e Sue Ri man All Children Are Special Fund

Bernard Friedland Educa onal Fund

Bubbe Lynn Rycus Beau fica on Fund

Building Fund

Cantor Pamela Schiffer Caring Community Fund

Henry Fine and Anne e Fine Burke Library Fund

Joseph & Jeanne e Lutvak Fund

Jerry Cohen Photography Fund

Joe and Mable Meites Religious School Fund

Esther and Jus n Morrison Fund

Landscape Fund

Prayer Book Fund

Robert Goodman Music Fund

Sophie Radway PJ Library Fund Rabbi Morton and Aviva Hoffman

Tzedakah Fund Also included are these funds. Please make separate checks payable to these funds:

Cemetery Perpetual Care Fund ● Maureen Gladstone Flower and Social Engagement Fund Ruth E. Rome Endowed Music Fund Florence Rudman Early Educa on

Endowed Fund

Rabbi’s Discre onary Fund Shapiro Endowed Religious School

Fund SZ Endowment Fund

L’ Dor Vador Fund SOPHIE RADWAY PJ LIBRARY FUND In memory of Linda Woodrow Roger Kennedy

ESTHER AND JUSTIN MORRISON FUND Happy Birthday to: Amy Morrison Jordan Glass Gail Wolfe Ron Horowitz Happy Anniversary: Anita and Don Baron Madeline and Steve Flaster Gail and Alan Wolfe Esther Morrison

CANTOR PAMELA SCHIFFER CARING COMMUNITY FUND A generous dona on was received from Leo and Libby Sklar In memory of Naomi Rachman Stephen and Deborah Gordon In memory of Renee Firestone In memory of Naomi Rachman David Kositchek

RABBI’S DISCRETIONARY FUND   In memory of Judy Frank Allen Frank JERRY COHEN PHOTOGRAPHY FUND In honor of Matriarch's Month— In memory of my mother Delia Koo, my sister Vicki Hitchens and aunt Gretchen Koo and Mrs. Bea Rabin Emily Koo                          HENRY FINE AND ANNETTE FINE BURKE LIBRARY FUND                                              In honor and thanks to Rabbi Bigman, Margot Valles and Pa y Warshaw Rachel Minkin

JOE AND MABLE MEITES RELIGIOUS SCHOOL FUND                                                               In honor of Pa y Warshaw The Minkin‐Wheeler Family In memory of Naomi Rachman In memory of Linda Woodrow Mazel Tov to Hannah and Birk Larusson on the arrival of Izzy Sloan Larusson Sue and Jerry Weiss

ROBERT GOODMAN MUSIC FUND A generous dona on was received from Gretchen Smith  

ETHEL WOLFE KITCHEN FUND In honor of our grandson, Ezra Wolfe, who became a Bar Mitzvah on April 24 at Temple Israel in Minneapolis Gail and Alan Wolfe

 BUILDING FUND In apprecia on of the Shaarey Zedek community Nancy and Andrew Thall A generous dona on was received from Sue Davis A generous dona on was received from Ma Aldrich RUTH E. ROME ENDOWED MUSIC FUND In memory of Naomi Rachman Sue Lerch Leiborwitz David Leiborwitz The Koelzer Family Dansville Schools The Jacobs Family Harold Kugelman In honor of Nolan Zatkin becoming Bar Mitzvah Margot Valles

MAUREEN GLADSTONE FLOWER AND SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT FUND  Thank you to Marv Gladstone and Kim Gladstone Shapiro for adding funding for social engagement support in addi on to flowers on the bimah from the fund.

June 4‐5 

Louis Jack Abramson, Rose Bernstein, Benjamin Blechman, Bernard Bloomfield, Ruth Booth, Ted Brody, Philip Cohen, Henry Fine, Lillian Friedland Franklin, Katherine Guer n, Rachel Feuerman Kaplowitz, Sandy Klein, Walter Kron, Patrick O’Brien, Helen Schlachter, Joseph Schraber, Harlan Schraber, Ella Shriman, Irving Silverman, Freida Silverman, Dinah Stark, Cantor Bruce Wetzler

June 11‐12 

Mel Applebaum, Herman Baron, Marvin M. Browde, Estelle Danowitz, Leon Friedman, Sydney Goodman, Rosamond Hack, Daniel H. Kruger, Theodore Post, Barney A. Ross, Louis Schwartz, Bernice Weinberg

June 18‐19 

Margaret Grigg, Blanche Gulvezan, Naomi Hack, Dennis Israel, Larry Levy, Mable Meites, Margot Ormos, Gail Pearlman, David Schafer, Lynne Shapiro, Nina Charlo e Skuller, Ellen Smith ,Dorothy Bloom Zachar

June 25‐26 

Jerry Bass, Eda Bueller, Edith Casher, Blanche Engel, Rabbi Alfred E. Friedman, Bessie Ri man Gershen, William V. Greene, Barbara Greenstein, Lynn Hecht, Samuel Hecht, Jack Mar n, Ruth Polin, Goldie Schwitzer, Sandra Thompson, Rosalind Weisberg, Philip Zachar

 

 

 

CONDOLENCES 

Condolences are sent to: 

The family of former member, Renee

Firestone, who died on May 13.

MEMORIALBOARDPLAQUES

Memorialize your loved one and

honor their name with a plaque in

the Shaarey Zedek sanctuary.

Please contact Pa y Warshaw in

the Shaarey Zedek office for

further informa on.  

 

                REMEMBRANCES                                  

                               JUNE 2021 SIVAN /TAMMUZ 5781 9 Commentary

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Friday, June 4                                                            Outdoor Shabbat Evening Service 7:00 p.m. (see page 1 and 3)   

Saturday, June 5 Shabbat Morning Service 9:30 a.m Outdoor T’filot Experience 10:30 a.m. (see page 4) Friday, June 11 SHAAREY ZEDEK LIVE! 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, June 12 Shabbat Morning Service including the Bat Mitzvah of Lilah Epley, 10:30 a.m.  

1924 Coolidge Road

East Lansing, Michigan 48823

www.ShaareyZedek.com

Friday, June 18 Shabbat Evening Service 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, June 19 Shabbat Morning Service 9:30 a.m.  

Friday, June 25 Shabbat Evening Service 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, June 26 Shabbat Morning Service 9:30 a.m.